George Frederick Root
Encyclopedia
George Frederick Root was an American
songwriter
, who found particular fame during the American Civil War
.
, and was named after the German-born British composer George Frideric Handel
. Root left his farming community for Boston
at 18, flute in hand, intending to join an orchestra. He worked for a while as a church organist in Boston, and from 1845 taught music at the New York Institute for the Blind
, where he met Fanny Crosby
, with whom he would compose fifty to sixty popular secular songs. In 1850 he made a study tour of Europe, staying in Vienna, Paris, and London. He returned to teach music in Boston, Massachusetts as an associate of Lowell Mason
, and later Bangor, Maine
, where he was director of the Penobscot Musical Association and presided over their convention at Norumbega
Hall in 1856. Root would spend most of his career (when not writing, or helping to manage his publishing company) traveling and teaching at Musical Institutes that move from town to town. He applied a version of Pestalozzi's
teaching (although misunderstood by both Root and Mason) and was instrumental in developing mid and late 19th century American musical education. He was a follower of the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg
.
On his return from Europe Root began composing and publishing sentimental popular songs, a number of which achieved fame as sheet-music, including those with Fanny Crosby: Hazel Dell, Rosalie the Prairie Flower, There's Music in the Air and others, which were, according to Root's New York Times obituary, known throughout the country in the antebellum period. Root chose to employ a pseudonym George Wurzel (German for Root) to capitalize on the popularity of German composers during the 1850s. Besides his popular songs, he also composed gospel songs in the Ira Sankey vein, and collected and edited volumes of choral music for singing schools, Sunday schools, church choirs and musical institutes. He also composed the various sacred and secular cantata
s including the popular The Haymakers in 1854. Root's cantatas were popular on both sides of the Atlantic throughout the 19th century.
Building on his talent for song-writing, Root moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1859 to work for his brother's music publishing house of Root & Cady
. He became particularly successful during the American Civil War
, as the composer of martial songs such as Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!
(The Prisoner's Hope), The Vacant Chair, Just before the Battle, Mother
, and The Battle Cry of Freedom. He wrote the first song concerning the war, The First Gun is Fired
, only two days after the conflict began with the bombardment of Fort Sumter
. He ultimately had at least 35 war-time "hits", in tone from the bellicose to the ethereal. His songs were played and sung at both the home front and the real front. Tramp, Tramp, Tramp became popular on troop marches, and Battle Cry of Freedom became well-known even in England.
Root was awarded the degree of Musical Doctor by the first University of Chicago
in 1872. He died at his summer home in Bailey Island
, Maine
, at the age of 75.
Root was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
in 1970.
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp, the Boys are Marching provided the tune for the later (and ultimately better-known) Jesus Loves the Little Children, with lyrics by C. Herbert Woolston, and also for the later God Save Ireland. The Vacant Chair provided a tune reused in Life's Railway to Heaven, and sometimes reused in To Jesus' Heart All Burning.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, who found particular fame during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Biography
George Frederick Root was born at Sheffield, MassachusettsSheffield, Massachusetts
Not to be confused with the city of Sheffield in the UK, or Sheffield, Vermont.Sheffield is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,257 at the 2010 census. Sheffield is home to...
, and was named after the German-born British composer George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
. Root left his farming community for Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
at 18, flute in hand, intending to join an orchestra. He worked for a while as a church organist in Boston, and from 1845 taught music at the New York Institute for the Blind
New York Institute for the Blind
The New York Institute for the Blind was founded in 1831 as a school for blind children by Samuel Wood, a Quaker philanthropist, Samuel Akerly, a physician, and John Dennison Russ, a philanthropist and physician....
, where he met Fanny Crosby
Fanny Crosby
Frances Jane Crosby , usually known as Fanny Crosby in the United States and by her married name, Frances van Alstyne, in the United Kingdom, was an American Methodist rescue mission worker, poet, lyricist, and composer. During her lifetime, she was well-known throughout the United States...
, with whom he would compose fifty to sixty popular secular songs. In 1850 he made a study tour of Europe, staying in Vienna, Paris, and London. He returned to teach music in Boston, Massachusetts as an associate of Lowell Mason
Lowell Mason
Lowell Mason was a leading figure in American church music, the composer of over 1600 hymn tunes, many of which are often sung today. His most well-known tunes include Mary Had A Little Lamb and the arrangement of Joy to the World...
, and later Bangor, Maine
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
, where he was director of the Penobscot Musical Association and presided over their convention at Norumbega
Norumbega
Norumbega was a legendary settlement in northeastern North America, inextricably connected with attempts to demonstrate Viking incursions in New England...
Hall in 1856. Root would spend most of his career (when not writing, or helping to manage his publishing company) traveling and teaching at Musical Institutes that move from town to town. He applied a version of Pestalozzi's
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi was a Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer who exemplified Romanticism in his approach....
teaching (although misunderstood by both Root and Mason) and was instrumental in developing mid and late 19th century American musical education. He was a follower of the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg
Emanuel Swedenborg
was a Swedish scientist, philosopher, and theologian. He has been termed a Christian mystic by some sources, including the Encyclopædia Britannica online version, and the Encyclopedia of Religion , which starts its article with the description that he was a "Swedish scientist and mystic." Others...
.
On his return from Europe Root began composing and publishing sentimental popular songs, a number of which achieved fame as sheet-music, including those with Fanny Crosby: Hazel Dell, Rosalie the Prairie Flower, There's Music in the Air and others, which were, according to Root's New York Times obituary, known throughout the country in the antebellum period. Root chose to employ a pseudonym George Wurzel (German for Root) to capitalize on the popularity of German composers during the 1850s. Besides his popular songs, he also composed gospel songs in the Ira Sankey vein, and collected and edited volumes of choral music for singing schools, Sunday schools, church choirs and musical institutes. He also composed the various sacred and secular cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
s including the popular The Haymakers in 1854. Root's cantatas were popular on both sides of the Atlantic throughout the 19th century.
Root & Cady
Root & Cady was a Chicago-based music publishing firm, founded in 1858. It became the most successful music publisher of the American Civil War and published many of the most popular songs during that war. The firm's founders were E. T...
. He became particularly successful during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, as the composer of martial songs such as Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!
Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!
"Tramp! Tramp! Tramp! " was one of the most popular songs of the American Civil War. George F. Root wrote both the words and music and published it in 1864 to give hope to the Union prisoners of war. The song is written from the prisoner's point of view...
(The Prisoner's Hope), The Vacant Chair, Just before the Battle, Mother
Just before the Battle, Mother
Just before the Battle, Mother was a popular song during the American Civil War, particularly among troops in the Union Army. It was written and published by Chicago-based George F. Root...
, and The Battle Cry of Freedom. He wrote the first song concerning the war, The First Gun is Fired
The First Gun is Fired
"The First Gun is Fired: May God Protect the Right" was the first song written specifically for the American Civil War. It was first published and distributed three days after the Battle of Fort Sumter. George F...
, only two days after the conflict began with the bombardment of Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter.- Construction :...
. He ultimately had at least 35 war-time "hits", in tone from the bellicose to the ethereal. His songs were played and sung at both the home front and the real front. Tramp, Tramp, Tramp became popular on troop marches, and Battle Cry of Freedom became well-known even in England.
Root was awarded the degree of Musical Doctor by the first University of Chicago
Old University of Chicago
The University of Chicago, now known as the Old University of Chicago , was a school founded by Baptists in Chicago in 1857...
in 1872. He died at his summer home in Bailey Island
Bailey Island (Maine)
Bailey Island is an island in Casco Bay, and a part of the town of Harpswell, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the island had a year-round population of 400.-History:...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, at the age of 75.
Root was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. It was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The goal is to create a museum but as of April, 2008, the means do not yet exist and so instead it is an online...
in 1970.
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp, the Boys are Marching provided the tune for the later (and ultimately better-known) Jesus Loves the Little Children, with lyrics by C. Herbert Woolston, and also for the later God Save Ireland. The Vacant Chair provided a tune reused in Life's Railway to Heaven, and sometimes reused in To Jesus' Heart All Burning.